A Thought for Hump Day - Just Listen

The fool speaks, the wise man listens.
Ethiopian proverb

by Skip Cohen

Hump Day thoughts are short reminders to help you build a more substantial business. And as I've written previously, I love the camel shot for the header each week. So, until I run out of things to suggest, welcome to Hump Day.

We live in a rushed instant fulfillment world, and so often, even in a simple conversation, people aren't really listening because they're already thinking about what they want to say next. We often draw the wrong conclusions simply because we heard what somebody said but didn't really listen.

Going back to my Polaroid days, I wrote some pretty good promotional programs for the photo specialty dealers, which was my channel of responsibility. But honestly, I didn't come up with the ideas; the camera stores and Polaroid salesman did! 

All I had to do was talk to a salesman and ask, "If we doubled your sales quota for next year, what would you need to make your number?" And with retailers, the same kind of question, "If you were going to double your Polaroid sales for next year, what would you need from us?"

Then I'd kick back and listen to the responses - they had all the answers. From extended billing terms to advertising to better in-store displays...the list went on and on. Not everything was doable, but that didn't change the collection of great ideas I was pulling together.

Here's the bottom line...You've got two ears and one mouth - so listen twice as much as you talk!

I found the piece below about listening skills - we all need a reminder now and then. All the answers you need to build a stronger business are all out there - you just need to listen!

​Happy Hump Day!

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